The Snow Day
by shybookworm18
Summary: Hanako and Hisao see each other for the first time after a long separation as a consequence of yet another heart attack. HanaSao fluff.


Hanako gazed anxiously out the window as the metro she was in hurtled towards the station. It had been nine months since she hurriedly left Yamaku Academy for a small mental institution in a neighboring long, sad months away from everyone she loved- Lilly, Akira…and Hisao. She could feel a sharp pain in her chest as she recalled the way she had left suddenly without notice, without any means of contacting her, but her doctor had reassured her that such drastic measures were for the best. She gave a small sigh as she remembered the event which had spurred this whole awful chain reaction…

_ It was a snowy evening. Hanako and Hisao were cuddled up in his dorm as they studied for the science final together. The term was drawing to a close and finals were coming up very soon. She was curled up in his bed while she read her notes and he was at his desk as he filled out the review packet Mutou had given the class to prepare for the exam. Her eyes achingly tired from reading the dull science notes, Hanako set her notebook down on the bed gently and watched her boyfriend jot down notes onto the study guide. _

_ Hisao looked up at her after a few minutes of writing, sensing her inquisitive gaze upon him. "Hanako, is something the matter?" he asked concernedly as he capped his pen and closed his textbook. It wasn't like her to just stop reading, even boringly dry physics notes. "Are you stuck on something?" _

_ "N-No…" She shook her head as she moved off the bed, feeling her stiff legs rejoice from the movement after such a long period of sitting. "I…I finished…th-the chapter…on fluid mechanics…" She smiled bashfully at him. "H-Hey…um…D-Do you…Do you w-wanna go f-for a walk…i-in the snow…? I'm f-feeling drowsy…f-from sitting for…s-so long…" _

_ He sat there for a moment as he weighed in his mind how much work he had left to do. It wasn't very much, he could afford to take a small break. And the snow could give him the perfect opportunity to give Hanako her Christmas present. He smiled up at her warmly. "Yeah, let's go outside. I'm starting to feel a little drained from all this cramming."_

_ The couple silently bundled up to brave the chilly and snowy outside together. The silence wasn't uncomfortable at all for either of them, it seemed more like an old friend than a wedge between them. Finally, they were both ready to go on their walk. Hanako put her mittened hand into Hisao's, smiling more broadly than usual. She loved the cold, snow was her favorite weather, but Hisao was a little more reluctant to go outside when it was cold enough for snow; he would prefer to stay indoors with hot chocolate and cuddle. They walked around the grounds quietly, just enjoying the winter wonderland surrounding them. Not many other students were outside; the final exams started the next day, so most people were probably studying inside their nice, warm dorms. _

_ They eventually walked to the forest behind the school and stopped, looking around and admiring the fresh snow on the trees. Hisao and Hanako stood quietly like this for several minutes before he decided to break the silence. "Hey, Hana?" His free hand reached inside his coat pocket and fingered the small jewelry box he had managed to slip into his pocket when Hanako was busy tying up her snow boots. _

_ "Y-Yeah…?" She looked questioningly up at him. She had been busy marveling at the crisp, pure white snow, and would have forgotten Hisao had come with her if it hadn't been for his hand enveloping hers, keeping it warm. She wondered briefly what he was going to say, hoping it wasn't something too intense. She had only been dating Hisao for six months by now and although she was sure she loved him, she knew they were both far too young for any kind of huge commitment._

_ "We've been dating a while now and even though I know we're officially exclusive, I wanted to get you something as sort of a half-year anniversary present." He fumbled around in his pocket, inwardly cursing his mittens for making it hard to grab things. He finally got out the small box and opened it to her, revealing a small silver band. "It's not an engagement ring!" He rushed to reassure her, noticing the panicked expression on her face. "It's a promise ring. I promise to always be here for you, Hanako. No matter what. I love you, Hana."_

_ She smiled shyly as she let him take off her mitten and slip the ring onto her right ring finger, trying not to show how freaked out she had been initially. "I…I love y-you, too, Hisao…" She gave him a small peck on the cheek and admired the promise ring. "I-It's really pretty…" _

_ "I'm glad you like it, I know you're not really into jewelry all that much." Hisao scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he spoke. "These past six months have been amazing, and I wanted to show you how much I love you." He leaned down and stole a light kiss from her. _

_ She returned the kiss gently and smiled up at him. "I…I'm r-really happy…t-to have met you…" She reached for his hand as they started to head back to the dorms. As they strolled through the grounds, Hanako noticed a group of students from their year having a snowball fight. She walked a little closer to Hisao. Despite making great strides in coming out of her shell since she started dating Hisao, she still found herself shying away from groups bigger than two or three people. _

_ Hisao smiled reassuringly at her. "It's okay, Hana. I'm here with you." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his side. He blushed faintly when she returned his smile bashfully as she wrapped her arm around his waist just as securely and nestled into his side contentedly. _

_ They were getting closer to the group throwing snowballs by now. Hisao saw a flash of hot pink hair peeking out from under a ski cap and recognized who was in the group at once. There was simply no mistaking Misha Mikado, Shizune Hakamichi, and Miki Miura. He wasn't really surprised to see Misha and Shizune outnumbering Miki, the two Student Council members were inseparable. He waved at the three girls, who noticed him and waved back. He watched Misha sign something to Shizune before bounding energetically up to him and Hanako, her trademark beam plastered all over her face. _

_ "Hey, Hicchan~! Hi, Hanako~!" she greeted them jubilantly. Hisao glanced down at Hanako to see her giving Misha a forced smile. Misha, oblivious to the discomfort her volume was causing Hanako, continued. "Wanna come play with us~? It's just Miki against me and Shicchan, it would be a lot more fun if you joined us~!" _

_ "I don't think we should, Hanako and I have some studying to do." Hisao smiled apologetically, hoping desperately that she would let him off easily without too much heckling. To his dismay, Misha looked over at Shizune, who was watching the exchange expectantly, and shook her head. Shizune frowned and sent a flurry of sign language to Misha. _

_ He braced himself for whatever tirade Misha would translate for the Student Council President. But to his surprise, instead of pouting pitifully, Misha grinned playfully at him, obviously pleased by whatever Shizune had told her. "Then you better start running~! Wahaha~!" _

_ Hisao stared uncertainly at her, unsure what to make of this warning. Run from what? As far as he knew, there was no immediate danger. "What do you me-" _

_ Bam. A snowball hit the back of his head. Rubbing where the snowball had struck, he whirled around to find Miki grinning widely at him. He couldn't begin to fathom how she had managed to sneak up behind them, as another snowball hit his right shoulder. He grabbed Hanako's hand and began to run for the dorms, finally understanding what exactly Misha had meant. As the couple ran together, Misha, Shizune, and Miki began to pelt them with snowballs. He had the sneaking suspicion he was getting all of the snowballs, as he didn't hear Hanako cry out once. It felt as though he was getting attacked by snowballs from all sides. Miki had run ahead of them and threw a snowball intended for his shoulder. To her horror, she miscalculated and the ice-ball went directly for his chest. _

_ A blinding pain shot through him as the ice-ball hit his chest squarely. Hisao doubled over, gasping in pain. His heart was on fire as it skipped beats and sped up, and he could faintly hear Hanako's terrified scream as he fell face-first into the snow. He realized he hadn't taken his medications that morning, he completely forgot in the midst of worrying over and studying for final exams. He could feel Hanako trying to flip him onto his back, but he couldn't move. He couldn't do anything. The next thing he remembered was waking up in the bleary hospital room._

Hanako's heart broke as she remembered that snowy afternoon, but it wasn't nearly as awful as what she had done after that. When Hisao had awoken in the hospital, she hadn't been there for him. She had a mental snap as a result of his heart attack and was admitted to the mental ward. The only person she had been allowed to see was her doctor, who suggested that she be moved to a proper asylum within the week. She hadn't been able to contact Hisao before she left, and that guilt still made her sick to her stomach. She had been at that sad institution for nine months without contact with anyone from Yamaku Academy, especially Hisao.

She idly wondered how he was doing. It was now early September, and school was about to start up again within a few days. She speculated how her fellow schoolmates were faring in their various endeavors, and began to dread returning. Returning to Yamaku meant questioning glances, whispered remarks behind her back, and Hisao. She wasn't sure if Hisao still wanted her, or even if they were still a couple. She stared miserably out of the metro window as it began to slow down, now approaching her stop. It was only a fifteen minute walk from Yamaku to the train, but that walk now seemed like an eternity to Hanako.

Hanako got off at her stop and noticed a familiar sandy brown head of hair among the bustling crowd. She brushed that notion aside, hoping that it wasn't him. She wasn't sure she could handle a confrontation with him so soon. She wanted to settle down in her dorm room first before seeing anyone from Yamaku. She stared at the ground as she headed out of the subway station, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. Unfortunately, she bumped into a man when she was halfway through the busy crowd. "Sor-" The word died on her lips as she stared up at who she had walked into. She didn't expect to see Hisao smiling down at her.

"Hana!" He gathered her in his arms and twirled her around, not caring who saw. He finally set her down and pressed a light kiss to her forehead. "Where have you been all this time? Will you be returning to Yamaku?" He noticed her bare right hand and immediately frowned worriedly. "I'm sorry, Hanako. Are we not still dating? I know it's been nine months, but have you found someone else?"

She shook her head and fished her necklace out from underneath her shirt. The promise ring shone brilliantly on the chain. "I…I didn't know…if…if you still wanted me…after…after all this time…" She smiled stiltedly at him. "I…I d-didn't…stop…thinking about you…w-while…I was…gone…"

"Yes, I still want you," he murmured soothingly as he hugged her tight once more. "Where have you been? Lilly said she didn't know…I was so worried when I came to and you weren't there…"

Hanako gave him a small peck on the cheek. "I…I think…we should t-talk…and catch up…over tea…"

"Sounds good to me." His smile widened as they held hands and made their way out of the subway station together.


End file.
